"Reverse the forces that have conspired for decades against working Americans" Imagine who said those words?

For some reason, I received an email this past Labor Day from the White House. I am not sure how theWhite House acquired my email address but, I guess I could ask the NSA. I was not alone as I'm sure this same email went out to millions of other Americans.

I decided to join in the fun and watch the video. As I expected, there were a lot of warm and fuzzy words and images of workers in factories. What came next, after 1 minute and 26 seconds really shocked me, the President of the United States said these words...

"reverse the forces that have conspired for decades against working Americans".

Who the heck was President Obama referring to when he used those exact words, "reverse the forces that have conspired for decades against working Americans"?

These words really bothered me; I could not believe what I was hearing. A Conspiracy? Did I miss something? Do you mean that all companies have been conspiring against their workers for decades Mr. President? If not companies, then who is conspiring against American workers? American workers made this country great, and for the most part they are well paid and respected.
In your video, I get the point about minimum wage; the reality is, no one I know gets paid minimum wage anymore. If an individual has a job and gets paid minimum wage, that's because that is what they are worth and the market place values their skills at. No one is forcing anyone in this country to work in a fast food restaurant for minimum wage. If you are good and work hard at any of these fast food chains, you move up the ladder. It is based on hard work and the willingness to commit to something that you want to be a part of.

Just ask anyone in business what they think of their employees (workers) and I think they will all say the same thing. Their employees are a very essential component to the success of their business. Most businessmen and companies treat their employees very well. So I am not buying these decade's long conspiracy against American workers that you are trying to sell, Mr. President.

Partisan politics incite strong negative emotions. NOT GOOD when you are trying to focus on enhancing your trading acumen. I would wager that anyone who devotes a good percentage of their time dwelling on the futility of the political and subjective economic arguments in current time, suffer underperformance in their portfolios relative to what could be. I suppose that makes it better for those of us who concentrate the bulk of our thoughts and efforts on finding great chart patterns and the like vs. getting distracted by sideshows, and that's fine. If one's instinct is telling you that your efforts are not mattering when it comes to endlessly arguing political points, you might want to listen to that little voice instead of succumbing to squabble and noise.

That's a very good observation and one that actually plays in very well with a post that I will put online in the next day or two on that very subject. I think that you, and many other readrs of this blog will find the subject matter interesting as it goes right to the heart of trading and investing.

I too received the same email. "Reverse the forces that have conspired for decades against working Americans". That's the recent phrase that the President said that got you upset?

What about his speech late last week pertaining to Syria where he stated “The world has an obligation…” (referring to punishing Syria for the then alleged chemical attack against its people) and then a few sentences later he stated we (the United States) would “go it alone”. Yikes!!

I agree that “The world has an obligation…” to do something about the use of chemical weapons in Syria, but I do not agree that the United States has an obligation to do it by ourselves and “go it alone”. If the world does not support a response to the use of chemical weapons and we impose our will upon Syria through the use of force, then we, the United States and its people, become the bad guys in this situation. We become the aggressor. We become guilty of attacking another nation that has not attacked us. We become the bully.

We cannot be the police agency of the world! That is the job of the United Nations, or at the very least, a coalition consisting of a diverse majority of nations that share the cost of any action.

I listened to the factual evidence that was released Friday 8/30/13. If the Government is not willing to release all of the factual evidence to the world, and if that evidence would not hold up in a court of law to convict Syria of wrong doing, then we should do nothing.

If the Government still feels that they must do something then, at the very least, wait until the United Nations finalizes and releases their report. If the report condemns Syria, then push for a world response. It would be good to have Russia and/or China, along with many others on our side.

If the Government still insists on going it alone with a limited strike, then make damn sure that the targets are meaningful assets specifically associated with the manufacturer, storage or transportation of the chemical weapons and that absolutely no one is killed or injured in the attack. That means they will need to make public when, where and what will be attacked so innocent people may leave the targeted areas. If any Syrian civilians are killed or injured in the attack, the United States and its people will be the terrorist in this situation.

If you don't like what was said, how it was said or the direction folks are taking this country then let your voice be heard by the 537? folks (Representatives, Senators, Vice-President and President) who run this country. I certainly have. They haven't put me away yet.

I love this country dearly. I take my duty as a citizen as an honor, just as it was an honor to serve in the military. But this talk of "going it alone" is wrong. Totally wrong. No good can come of it.

First let me thank you for a very long and insightful post. I totally agree with you on all points. Like you, I really love this country, this country has been very good to me and my family since I immigrated here from Great Britain,

What bothers me and you mentioned it first is this going it a lone mentality. Unless we have a coalition or the UN with us, the US is going to come off as the aggressive and the bad guy to the entire Muslim world.

I hope that everyone who reads your comment, does in fact contact their representatives and make their opinions known.

Once again, thank you for taking the time and the effort to post your very insightful comment.

When I started college in the 60's in California it was virtually free. I ran into students from all over the country who came to Berkeley because it was free as were the other schools in the UC and Cal State system. I worked my way through school because I could. That is no longer possible. Public funding of education has largely been eliminated. A large proportion of people who would love to go to college will never go simply because they can't afford it. The market based approach to education has replaced getting an education. There were many people who believed that education for the sake of education was a real value. Now it's how you get a job. The USA has become a country that knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Not my original thought but relevant. There is no vast covert conspiracy to subvert anything. It is right there in your face. Corporate America owns and operates the country starting with Congress. The only value is profit. If people die too bad. If people are reduced to economic slavery it's their fault. Market forces are the only arbiter. Nothing else matters except profit and shareholder interest. People are tools, nothing more. There is nothing Corporate America will not do to stretch a $1.00 to $1.07. The military industrial complex now decides what science will be funded by public funds. If you are a corporation you go bankrupt you can open up the next day doing the same thing with a different corporate charter and, often, a new name. If you are person you no longer can go BK. Schedule 13 for you. Pay your debts you sponge. Stop whining and pay up. There is nothing covert about what is going on here. And it started 35 years ago with Ronald Reagan and the first step was to make education increasingly difficult to get for the underclasses.

I do see some beginnings of people starting to wake up and think we need to change things. It's interesting that while I sound like a world class grump I'm increasingly running into people who feel the same way. We have been screwed by a system that threw us overboard 35 years ago and it's time to do something. One common thread is that the Federal Government is largely irrelevant to our lives. We are identifying problems and doing something about it on a local level. Doesn't sound like much of a threat to Corporate America but it's a start and it's picking up steam.

If you grew up in Berkley of the sixties is says a great deal about your background and beliefs. But what you described in your thinking is actually coming full circle and getting back to a smaller Federal government. There was a time in America when we did not have a BIG Federal government and family mattered -

When it comes to education it gets down to this, as a nation we have literally spent over the years 1 trillion dollars and yet we still rank near the bottom of the barrel when it comes to having an educated work force.

I was recently in Canada, Montreal to be exact, and I went past McGill University, by any standard McGill is a fine university, yet it cost about one-third the cost of most Stateside universities. I actually have friends who sent their daughter there for an education.

You might find this article of why college costs are so high - look no further than the Government.

Mercy, you went to Montreal, where they actually have a more informed, unionized and politically aware populous. You need a 'thumbs up" feature so those of us that appreciate your technical analysis and dislike your politics can stay quietly in the background and encourage those brave enough to call you on some of this nonsense. Peace.

Adam. I respect your abilities as a trader and investor within the financial domain of society, including your work within INO.com excluding this blog. However, it is truly embarrassing to read some of your editorial comments that relate to fields that are clearly not your areas of education let alone expertise. I am thinking of your writings that pertaining to yet expressing such monstrous ignorance in the fields of economics, politics, sociology, psychology, and philosophy. Requesting comments to these writings of yours would be better addressed first by taking basic 101-level college courses or even at earlier levels. Otherwise, it is an impossible task to even know where to begin to address some of your statements, without writing at enormous length. On the other hand, I am 100% confident that we would have areas of needs and values in common from where to begin such a large task, such as contributing to the genuine well-being of others as well as our own selves.

First let me thank you for posting on this blog, and for the first part of your comments. Next, I want to thank you for providing me with my biggest laugh of the day. Yes,
I laughed as I said to myself who is this self righteous person who doesn't know telling me I have no clue about economics, politics, sociology, psychology, and philosophy.

David,I have to admit that I did not go to college, and it is obvious from your comments that you did, but are you smart?? As for myself, I suffer from an insanely curious mind that of a autodidact, if you don't know what that is, you can read about it here.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autodidacticism

You comment reminded me of what a famous American president once said, pay particular attention to the 4th sentence:

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”

Calvin Coolidge quotes (American 30th President of the United States, 1872-1933)

I wish you good speed my friend and I respect your First Amendment rights.

You have expressed reality, truth and Fact of the life. We never found knowledge from any specific way, source, person or any formal system, Education means itself a self learning process through observation and thinking thereon. Just beginning from primary school, up to even famous universities, whatever they delivering can be taken just as a "information" and not "Education", they just don't even teach us How to become Educate? or any basics of learning process too. Please also refer my reply to Mr. David.

I am absolutely disagree with your comment, because to participate fields like economics, politics, sociology, psychology, and philosophy, or even any related subjects, deep observation and thinking process is more important rather then any formal or basic 101-level college courses or even at earlier levels. and i would like to ask one simple question that why we often found the best out come or presentations or practical achievements who had never found any sort of so called "Education"and second question is numbers of people have obtained such school college or even up-to Doctorate level study, but what about the quality or applicability of their knowledge? what is their out-put? what is their any remarkable or considerable contribution?

Obama could let slip that JFK's assassination was planned continue all the way down to the secret, untold nuggets about US complicity on 9-11-01, and it all will be dismissed as misunderstood political banter.

Worry about one of the Einstein theories, but with a perilous equal and opposite effect. Goodbye blue sky, hello newer, eastern evilest empire. The writing's om the wall.

Thank you for your feedback. If we raise the minimum-wage all those prices will be passed along and things would just become more expensive therefore defeating the purpose of raising the minimum wage.

Nobody in America has to work for minimum wage, you have the power of choice you can choose to work anywhere they want. The problem is, and no one addresses this is the entire breakdown of the family unit. You cannot pay somebody a bunch of money just because they shows up and have no skills. Companies are always willing to pay more money if you can find someone who has the right stuff. It doesn't matter if they are black or white if they can get the work done. But most minimum wage workers just go from job to job with no ambition and no future prospects.

You are obviously under the ignorant assumption that there are plenty of good jobs to go around for those that want them. There are not, nor is it realistic to think that everyone who wants a job can be an entrepreneur. Millions of American jobs have been eliminated in the last few decades, and yet this is somehow the workers' fault? I don't think so.

That is your assumption not mine. I look at the monthly job numbers and understand how many folks are out of work.

The reality is there's been a change a dramatic change here in the US's that has been taking root for many years since we started exporting jobs. You cannot be a great nation and exports jobs.

We live in a technology and Internet savvy world where it doesn't take a lot of people to do the work of 100. That's what is happening. You only have to look at the number industries that are no longer in this country to realize where all the jobs have gone, it's not rocket science. It gets back to making it harder and harder for companies to do business here in the US on a competitive global scale.

I don't believe I ever said it was the workers fault, I talked about minimum wage jobs and the fact that you can move up in those companies if you show promise, desire and effort.

Thank you for your feedback and if you're out of work I honestly hope you find a job soon.

First let me thank you for contributing to this blog. We're seeing more and more young people become disillusioned and I think the rallying cry of the president when he took office turned out to pretty much business as usual and bringing in the old hands that have being there for eons. I think the general public would just like to see a clean sweep of all the politicians, because quite frankly, I can't imagine how it could get much more dysfunctional.

I think, you should not become up-set or Disturbed through such words, simply because there are so many hidden motive or specific intention for the each and every word expressed by any of politicians world wide. They wants to create some illusion about any specific matter, and for to achieve their goal or targets, so they even have no concern with reality, fairness or genuineness of such stuff. All Such kind of expressions are meant for their specific target audience, and for most of the time, they succeed to find or add some more fools in their stable from that target audience.